Matt Courtney is the meticulous and reflective architect behind Ferren wines, a micro-project based in the Russian River valley that produces a mere 500 cases of scintillating, Grand Cru-esque Chardonnay each year. The wines that Matt crafts are fast becoming recognised as some California’s most impressive whites – wines of depth, body and detail, akin to the wines made famous by Matt’s previous employer, Helen Turley. It was during the 8 years that Matt spent as Helen’s right-hand man at Marcassin, a period of great critical acclaim for the cult winery, that Matt fine-tuned his winemaking style, while simultaneously identifying the prime vineyard sites that inform this project.
Today Matt works out of the state-of-the-art Arista Winery, producing both the Ferren and Arista labels there. For the Ferren project, Matt’s cuvees tend not to exceed 150 cases, allowing for an entirely kid-gloves approach in both vineyard and winery. The Ferren style is meticulous, involving very close vineyard management – dropping fruit up to four times alone in 2018 for instance – and minimalist, patient, lightly reductive winemaking. Everything is naturally fermented with indigenous yeasts, there’s no battonage and fermentations are generally long and slow: the wines spend about a year in barrel before six months in stainless steel. The resulting Chardonnays are Grand Cru in stature, luxuriant in texture, bold and deep, yet also nuanced and persistent with flowing finishes and plenty of natural acidity. They are imbued with a sunshine that could only be Californian, and a detailed precision of the sort that only comes from gentle handling of perfectly ripe fruit from top vineyards.
Read MoreAnd you needn’t just take our word for it. A recent article on Matt’s wines appeared in the Wine Advocate with Erin Brooks lavishing praise on these confidently brilliant bottlings, while Jeb Dunnuck described Matt’s 2018s as “another incredible line up of wines”.
Whilst we would recommend cellaring each of these for two years from now, the wines are all in stock and ready to be delivered immediately.
Ferren, Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2018 – 96 WA / 97 JD
The 2018 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast is very, very pretty this year, with aromas of lemon curd and spiced apples, crushed stone and flowers. The palate surprises with its sheer intensity of spicy citrus flavors, satiny and super fresh, and it finishes with incredible uplift and salty tang. Despite its appellation status, this cuvée offers all the class of the rest of the Ferren portfolio. Winemaker Matt Courtney says, "I like a little bit of reduction, so I sought vineyard sites closer to the ocean, where you get a bit of that salty, iodine character. There's so much tension, the wines could be too backward and tight, and I want this to be approachable. So I use about 20% new French oak and age this for 18 months in barrel." Erin Brooks
Crisp apple, white flowers, hazelnuts, and chalky mineral notes make up the bulk of the aromas in the 2018 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast, and it's rich and medium to full-bodied, with terrific balance and a great finish. It's certainly in the same realm as the single vineyard releases and should be snatched up by savvy readers. Jeb Dunnuck
Ferren Lancel Creek Chardonnay 2018 – 97 WA / 98 JD
The 2018 Chardonnay Lancel Creek Vineyard gains perfume and detail with time in the glass, opening from notes of jasmine, candied grapefruit and tangerine peel to layers of roasted almonds and panna cotta. The palate is silky and expansive with unique expression, its sheer flavor intensity countered by a juicy crescendo of mineral-laced citrus fruits that carry the long finish. Erin Brooks.
Crushed lemon, poached pear, hazelnuts, and white flowers as well as incredible minerality emerge from the 2018 Chardonnay Lancel Creek Vineyard, one of the finest Sonoma Coast Chardonnay I've ever tasted. Intense, full-bodied, stunningly concentrated, and yet still ethereal and elegant, with incredible class and length on the palate, this is another sensational, magical Chardonnay from Ferren that should age nicely for 10-12 years, and I suspect even longer. Jeb Dunnuck